


Don't Dream It, Be It

by madneto



Series: Vampires Are Nerds [3]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Sex, Calm Down Erik, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Fluff and Angst, Halloween, Hand Jobs, M/M, Overthinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:13:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9203396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madneto/pseuds/madneto
Summary: In the lead-up to his and Charles' Halloween party, Erik learns something about vampire-human relationships from Raven that sends him into a spiral of self-doubt and overthinking. He know he wants to change to be with Charles forever, but does Charles know? And more importantly, does Charles want that, too?More schmoop and angst because vampires are hella nerds.





	1. Chapter 1

At 6:53am, just as the grey light of dawn is beginning to turn into the pale yellow of true morning, Charles glances out the window, sighs, and marks the page of his book with a scrap of paper. He sets the book down on the coffee table next to his abandoned mug and, yawning, stretches his arms up to the sky and feet out towards the TV. Erik went to bed just past 11, so Charles spent most of the night decorating the house, writing a few last minute items on the grocery list for Erik and Raven to get this afternoon, and practicing his makeup for the party he and Erik are throwing tonight. After that, as is usual for his nocturnal existence on the nights when Erik doesn’t stay up with him, Charles immersed himself in a book: Thackery’s _Vanity Fair_ this time. One of his favorites.

 

Sighing again, he stands and grabs the mug from the coffee table and takes it into the sink – ducking around the pumpkin, cat, and bat streamers that he hung from the kitchen doorway – and rinses out the cup with his designated sponge. As soon as he and Erik started spending more time at each other’s apartments, sleeping over together and storing food for one another, Charles had insisted on separate dishes and cleaning supplies for each of them. No way was he going to risk Erik somehow getting a blood borne pathogen from sharing utensils, and Erik was quick to agree.

 

So far, though, things have been okay. Charles has his own drawer in Erik’s fridge, and his own mugs for blood. He even has his own mixing bowls, baking sheets, spoons, and measuring cups for when he wants to cook snacks with blood in them. Initially, when he’d realized just how attracted to Erik he was during their late night chess sessions before they’d started dating, Charles had been incredibly anxious about becoming intimate with a human. Apart from fearing the reaction to the news that Charles was a vampire, there were the complications of when to feed, when to spend time together, how to negotiate the weird rules of vampire life, the list goes on and on.

 

More than that, there was the complication of falling in love with a mortal. Charles has known just a few vampires who had their hearts broken when their human lover decided not to change, but most aren’t foolish enough to even begin a relationship. Apparently Charles isn’t as smart as he used to think. Emma and Hank hounded him for months when he and Erik first began dating, reminding him how silly it is to, as Emma put it, “play with your food”, while Hank helpfully brought up the time a century ago that Charles had had his eye on someone only to watch them go off to war and never return without saying anything. Charles hadn’t spoken to either of them for weeks after that.

 

Still, Charles thinks with a wistful sort of smile as he sets his clean up on the rack to dry, he’s so infinitely glad he took the chance. Life with Erik is… Incandescent. In his 218 years, Charles knows he’s never been this happy, and sometimes he wonders if there isn’t some sort of cosmic plan after all. If he wasn’t meant to become a vampire just so he could know Erik. Even if, a small part of Charles’ brain intones, treacherously, their time together will be short.

 

Shaking his head, Charles dispels the thought, as he has had to do increasingly often, and heads down the hallway and up the stairs toward Erik’s bedroom. It won’t do to dwell on mortality. Any time with Erik is gift enough. And he’s in a good mood; he’s accomplished all his tasks for the night and is looking forward to this evening when he’ll finally, _finally_ host a Halloween party. It’s something he’s been dreaming about for decades, since he moved to America and found a group of vampires to become friends with. The whole gang is coming tonight; even Emma who no doubt thinks it’s tacky but said yes in her RSVP. Charles has been pleased as punch since Erik agreed to it. It’ll be just like old times, before he was turned, when he used to drink and cavort with the wildest of them.

 

Smiling again, Charles pushes open the door to the bedroom on silent hinges and sees Erik sprawled out across the mattress on his front, a small puddle of drool on his pillow, one arm halfway off the bed. Charles’ stomach gives a pleased flop, and he feels his expression go soft around the edges. Silent as the grave, he slips into the bedroom, half-closing the door behind him, and peels off his clothes until he’s down to just his underwear, folding his shirt and jeans neatly and placing them on the chair in the corner by his side of the bed.

 

Erik doesn’t even stir as Charles slips under the covers and spoons himself up against Erik’s back. Erik is so magnificently warm, giving off heat like a bonfire. Charles isn’t necessarily cold to the touch – or marble, like those silly supernatural romance novels claim – but he isn’t warm either. Tonight, Erik wore a shirt to bed, and Charles spares a moment to lament the lack of extra skin to skin contact before snuggling closer, resting his forehead against Erik’s shoulder blade, wrapping his arm protectively around Erik’s side.

 

The movement also nestles Charles’ half-hard cock up against Erik’s underwear-clad backside, and he bites his lip, letting out a quiet breath. Erik stirs gently in Charles’ arms, and for a second Charles’ eyes fly open, regretting touching him at all, hoping Erik will fall back asleep. But Charles’ worry is for nothing; Erik’s just shifting, settling into the embrace, not even half-awake, and after he finds whatever position he’d been seeking, he quiets again.

 

Sighing, Charles lets himself relax as soon as he’s certain Erik is still out. He presses himself against Erik’s back again, eyelids fluttering closed, ignoring the interest of his cock. There’ll be plenty of time for sex later. For now, he’s tired and he wants to cuddle his boyfriend.

 

Before Charles met Erik, he often had trouble falling asleep. It just seemed there was so much to do, even after nearly over two centuries of life. He couldn’t seem to make his mind shut down even in the daytime when things were too sharp with color and brightness. Now, though, Charles has come to appreciate the softer moments; the moments between the dawn and the morning and in the late afternoon, when he and Erik are so utterly alone.

 

He nuzzles a soft kiss to the dip of Erik’s spine, and within moments, he’s asleep.

 

*

 

 _I’m in love with Charles Xavier_ , Erik reminds himself as he struggles upstream through the crowd of last-minute grocery shoppers like himself and Raven.

 

 _I would do anything for him_ , he thinks as he dodges around a slow-moving little old lady and grabs the last sack of apples, Raven letting out a whoop of success as he does.

 

 _The way he smiled when I said yes to the party, the way he kissed me_ , Erik thinks forcibly as he and Raven cram onto the crowded subway with their straining bags full of candy, alcohol, mixers, apples, and baking supplies, and Erik finds himself smashed up against a wall with a obviously hung over and slightly smelly college kid at his back and a put-upon Raven at his front. _The way it feels to wake up almost every morning with him next to me._

 

 _I want to spend **eternity** with Charles Xavier_ , Erik thinks, definitely more mollified by the time they reach their stop near Erik’s brownstone. Thinking of Charles has a way of soothing Erik’s frazzled nerves, and when they reach the front door, decorated with a jovially-smiling felt spider on a rainbow web, Erik can’t help but smile back.

 

“You’re ridiculous,” Raven says, giving him a sidelong look as he fumbles with the keys.

 

“Believe me, I know,” Erik replies, but when he shoots Raven a glance, he sees a twitch of a smile on her lips as well.

 

They speed down the hallway and through the living room with their heavy bags and drop them on the kitchen table with sighs of relief. Raven shakes out her hands, getting feeling back into the fingertips, rolling her shoulders and neck.

 

“Christ that was heavy,” she groans. “How did I get stuck with all the alcohol?”

 

“I had the mixers and pumpkin cans,” Erik reminds her. “We’re even.”

 

Raven rolls her eyes slightly, but doesn’t put up any more fuss, so Erik counts it as a victory. Over the last year or so, since he and Charles got _really_ serious, Erik and Raven have become good friends, thanks mostly to Charles’ subtle, coaxing guidance. Charles worries that Erik has so few people to talk to, even though Erik has told him time and time again that he has plenty of friends, just not ones on this continent necessarily. Besides, it’s difficult to remain close to humans when you hope you may not _be_ one soon, and when your boyfriend is undead. Erik would rather have Charles and his pack of vampire friends than any of the people he’s lost touch with since moving to the United States, or any of his coworkers at the engineering firm.

 

“Drinks or human food?” Erik asks.

 

“Drinks,” Raven answers warily. “I assume Charles has some personal supplies stashed around here for the blood pops?”

 

Erik nods, jerking his head toward the fridge. “Meat drawer,” he says.

 

Raven snorts. “I should have known.”

 

While Raven takes the vodka, rum, and mixers over to the counter, Erik starts to dig through the bags for the supplies to make the mini pumpkin pies and candy apples. Supposedly, several of their vampire guests tonight are going to be bringing familiars – no doubt at Charles’ request in yet another bid to make Erik more sociable – so they’ve got to make sure there’s enough food for multiple humans besides himself and Raven. Not to mention Charles had been so obviously delighted when he’d looked up recipes for hors d’oeuvres that Erik had bit back his original plan of just ordering a few pizzas and calling it good. Erik can’t wait to see the look on Charles’ face when he wakes up and sees all the food sitting out, ready to be eaten by their guests.

 

Good lord, he has it bad.

 

By the time he fishes out all the ingredients for the caramel apples and mini pumpkin pies, Raven’s found the punchbowl Charles bought a few days ago and is filling it up with rum and raspberry liquor. In the center of the bowl, sticking up on a small pedestal, is a plastic skull, its mouth open in a silent laugh. Raven shoots him a pointed look as he settles his things next to her on the countertop.

 

“Charles needs to be stopped,” she says lightly.

 

Erik snorts. “And you’re going to be the one to stop him?”

 

He pulls out a pan and sets it on the cold stove, disappearing back under the counter for a moment and returning with the heavy Kitchen Aid mixer, sliding it carefully onto the countertop with a quiet noise of exertion. Then he goes for the flour and butter and salt, double checking the recipe Charles had handwritten out for him and left on the kitchen table while Erik was sleeping to make sure the measurements are right before he adds the ingredients to the mixing bowl. Meanwhile, Raven has moved onto adding cran-raspberry juice and Sprite to the punch.

 

“It’s weird to think this is going to be my last Halloween as a human,” Raven says idly. “Last time I can dress up as a vampire for a joke. I’ve got to savor it.”

 

“So you’ve decided on a date then?” Erik asks, eyebrows raised high in surprise.

 

“Not yet,” Raven says, shaking her head. “But I’ve got him committed to a month. Next September. That’ll be six full years we’ve known each other and I’ve been his familiar.”

 

“Congratulations,” Erik says, not sure if that’s the proper response, but Raven smiles, so it must hit the mark.

 

“Thanks,” she says.

 

“What does this mean for you now?” he asks, turning on the mixer and watching the ingredients slowly mesh into pie dough.

 

“It means treasuring every single bite of garlic-flavored food I can find for the next year,” Raven says, and Erik laughs. She shakes her head, fishing a wooden spoon out of the jar of utensils on the counter and stirring the punch idly. “Nothing really,” she says seriously. “I still have to go in at every opportunity to give blood. I’ll still be the one to make sure he can get into restaurants and shops and stuff if you aren’t there, and I’ll have to try and find someone to replace me as familiar. He and I will review potential candidates together.”

 

Erik jerks his attention away from the mixing dough and gazes at her, frowning slightly with confusion. “You help choose the next familiar? Did someone help choose you?”

 

Raven shakes her head. “Charles was… different when I met him,” she says. “Kept to himself more. I found out about vampires through Alex, before Armando turned him, and once I started hanging out with their mutual friends that’s when I met Charles. He had, like, ten places in the whole city he’d go. Places that he’d already been invited into either by mesmerizing someone or just because he’d been here long enough that an old friend’s apartment building had been turned into a grocery store. Things like that.

 

“He and I hit it off though, and Armando pushed the two of us together. He thought Charles needed the companionship, and I couldn’t resist the thrill. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to be changed at that point, but I thought why not help out? After a few months I was hooked.”

 

“Huh,” Erik says articulately.

 

He manages to close his mouth and nods slowly, staring back down into the mixer, processing this information. From the few times he’d spoken with Armando, he’d gotten the impression that the other vampire was enthusiastic about his and Charles’ relationship. He’d though, though, that that had just been part of Armando’s general friendly demeanor. Apparently, there’d been more to it than that. Erik knew Charles was a bit of a homebody, but he didn’t know things had been _that_ bad. No wonder Charles gets concerned about Erik’s lack of social life.

 

Surprisingly, he and Charles don’t talk about the past very much. Of course, Erik knows some of Charles’ life; he knows he’d been born and grew up in Kent in 1800, that his father had died when he was young and his mother had remarried his father’s business partner. He knows that Charles’ relationship with his stepfather had been pretty awful and thus Charles didn’t like to talk about it. He knows about Charles’ immersion in sciences at university, and about Charles meeting the vampire that had turned him. He’d learned about how Charles came over to America in the late nineteenth century and studied at Princeton and Yale.

 

Mostly when they speak about the past, though, it’s wrapped up non-personal detail, like the history of scientific discovery or the innovations over the years that Charles had never gotten used to, or the progress of civil rights. Charles had had dark days, Erik knows, but Erik has trouble seeing him as anything but bright and lovely now.

 

Shaking himself, Erik tries to focus on cooking and not on the gnawing flicker of discomfort at the back of his mind. He’s not sure why he’s surprised that Raven will help Charles look for a new familiar. He knew that she was moving forward with her transformation sometime soon. Still… he sighs, relaxing shoulders he didn’t know had gone tense. After a moment, he shuts off the mixer and busies himself with scooping the dough off the sides and the mixer arm, pulling the mini pie dish Charles had also purchased out of its cupboard. Meanwhile, Raven covers the punch with plastic wrap and sticks it in the fridge, getting out the ingredients for sangria next.

 

“It is lucky he has you, though,” she says, sounding reflective. Erik pauses, breath caught in his throat. “Since he’s used to drinking warm blood, it’ll be easier to change me without drinking too much.”

 

Erik’s heart sinks and he frowns suddenly, shooting her an incredulous look. “What?”

 

Raven shrugs a single shoulder, coloring slightly. “You know how change happens. How the vampire drinks almost to the point of killing and then feeds you some of _their_ blood. Since most vampires nowadays are used to drinking from frozen bags packs, sometimes fresh, hot blood can be a dangerous thing to sink their fangs into. But you know, you shouldn’t worry. Charles can control himself around you.”

 

“Of course,” Erik replies emphatically. “I’ve never felt uncomfortable. Sure, the fangs come out sometimes, but I’m always ready for it. They didn’t faze me then and they don’t faze me now. He hasn’t hurt me.”

 

“Good,” Raven says, with a quick, embarrassed sounding laugh. “Cuz when Alex was talking about it, before he got changed, it sounded like the bites could get pretty intense.”

 

“What do you mean?” Erik asks, draping the crust over the top of the tins.

 

“Don’t make me say it,” Raven says, dropping the last of the fruit into the pitcher. Erik frowns at her, confused again, and she sighs, rolling her eyes. “You’re horrible. It’s like talking about my parents doing it. Ugh.”

 

Erik’s frown deepens, definitely feeling as if they’re on two different pages, but Raven doesn’t notice, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red as she adds brandy and orange juice to the pitcher.

 

“I know how they all bite the humans they sleep with. Even though _I_ may never have done it, Alex has told me about all the dirty secrets. And I can’t get Emma to shut up about it.”

 

“Ah,” Erik says dumbly. “Right.”

 

Raven shoots him a withering look. “Hey, you’re the one who asked.” She elbows him in the ribs. “Thanks for taking one for the team anyway. I’ll appreciate it next September.”

 

Erik nods, smiling jerkily. “Right,” he says again.

 

Evidently still embarrassed, Raven immediately changes the subject. She asks Erik about work and he manages to muddle through an explanation of the plans for the new apartments the firm is going to start building next week, Raven nodding along and asking questions as she helps him fill the mini pies with pumpkin. While they bake and while the human drinks chill in the fridge, Erik and Raven move over to the table and share a pot of hot cider, and though he keeps up with the conversation, the back of his mind is a whirl of doubt.

 

Vampires bite their significant others? And it feels good? Yet Charles never mentioned this to Erik. As Erik told Raven, he’s seen the fangs come out with fair frequency. He’s seen Charles drink blood from his mug or eat blood-flavored snacks that he cooks himself, and they always come out then. They come out sometimes, too, when they’re having sex, especially when Charles is close to orgasm. All those times it’s seemed involuntary, although Erik knows Charles could make them descend if he wanted to, if he was hungry enough. But if drinking from humans during sex is so apparently normal, why has Charles never brought it up with Erik?

 

It’s not a question of if Charles loves him, or if Charles isn’t enjoying the sex they currently have. Erik’s certainty of these two things is unshakeable, and that’s part of why he’s so confused. Maybe Charles just doesn’t like drinking blood while being intimate. Maybe he’s never had occasion before, although Erik knows that must not be it. He was a vampire for almost 200 years before Erik came around; certainly he had sex before him. Could it be that he thinks Erik wouldn’t want him to? Erik… could see that being the case, but to not even ask seems strange. After all, he knows how much Erik loves him.

 

But this on top of the new familiar has Erik’s stomach sinking, even as he laughs and gossips with Raven about the party tonight and who will dress as what. True, they haven’t spoken about it at all, but Erik assumed with Raven changing soon, Erik would simply take over her duties. In fact, with Erik around she’s almost superfluous; Charles doesn’t need to ask her to pick up the dry cleaning or sign for a shipment of books to the store in the daytime when Erik can do it just as easily. As far as Erik knows, the only thing Raven really worries about now is making sure no one at the blood bank where she volunteers looks too closely at the broken lock on the basement window. Erik could easily take over there until Charles decides to change him.

 

Erik takes a quick swig of nearly cold cider to try and cover the slightly sick feeling this afternoon’s revelations have given him. Things are by no means official in regards to Erik changing, but they practically live together. They may be on different schedules, but they manage to see each other every day or night for at least a few hours, and though they alternate houses, they always fall asleep wherever the other is, even if Erik doesn’t say up all night every night and if Charles sleeps during the day while Erik’s at work. Not a day goes by that Erik doesn’t tell Charles he loves him and hears Charles say it back. Surely Charles must have an inkling that Erik would be willing to change for him. Surely, this must be something that goes through Charles’ mind every day, too.

 

The timer for the pies dings, and Raven lets out a surprised noise. “Five thirty already?” she says.

 

“So it would seem,” Erik replies, picking himself up from his chair and going over to open the oven.

 

Raven makes a noise around her last swig of cider. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t need any more help, I should probably go,” she says. “I need a nap before I get ready.”

 

“Okay,” Erik says. He sets the pies on the countertop to cool and takes off his oven mitt, setting it aside. “Thanks for coming over, Raven.”

 

“No problem,” she answers, grinning. They walk to the door together and Raven bounds down the steps before turning to give him a quick wave. “See you soon!”

 

Erik waves back and when Raven turns and starts to walk toward the subway stop, closes the door behind her. For a moment, he considers going upstairs to crawl into bed with Charles instead of finishing up cooking. Charles should be waking soon anyway, since the sun is going down. Twilight’s already fallen outside, and Charles is generally an early riser as vampires go. Ultimately, he decides against it. Sighing, he heads back to the kitchen to start the candy apples. Shoving aside all questions, he turns his focus to heating the caramel and prepping the apples with the little wooden sticks.

 

After a few minutes, when the caramel’s sufficiently melted, Erik goes to the fridge and gets out some milk, pouring it slowly into the sauce pan. He lets it sit for another moment before turning off the heat and bringing it over to roll the apples, setting them onto the cooling tray until there’s two neat little rows of eight. With the number of humans coming, that much should be enough. Nodding in approval, Erik puts the pot into the sink with the other dirty utensils and brings over the dishes he and Raven had used, and starts to wash up.

 

Although he tries valiantly to keep his mind from straying to the question at hand, it inevitably does. Does Charles _not_ know that Erik wants to change? Erik thinks it must be impossible, but maybe his silence on the whole blood-drinking issue points that way. Maybe Charles thinks it’s happening too fast. They’ve only been together for just over a year, so that would be understandable. Though Charles insists he doesn’t see time differently than he did as a human – “There’s just _more_ of it, dear” – it probably feels like they’ve been together for a shorter amount of time than it does to Erik, just like as you get older the years feel shorter.

 

Biting his lip, Erik wonders if he should tell Charles just how serious he is about them. He knows he loves Charles and he knows Charles loves him, but to what extent, with what devotion, Charles may very well _not_ understand. That thought makes Erik more upset than anything else. Soon, he resolves. He’ll tell Charles soon.

 

As if by fate, at that exact moment, Erik hears a creak on the stairs. He smiles widely, waiting. Charles can move silently as a shadow if he wants to, and often times he does, but in the vampire-mornings, he’s still usually too sleepy to care. That, or he wants Erik to know he’s coming. Either way, Erik feels his pulse start to jump in anticipation even as he continues to nonchalantly scrub at the dirty pots and pans.

 

He doesn’t have to wait long. He hears a fluttering of streamers in the doorway and the next thing he knows, two strong, pale arms are wrapping around his midsection as Charles plasters himself against Erik’s back, nuzzling sleepily against his spine.

 

“Good morning,” Erik says quietly.

 

“Mmmfff,” Charles replies grumpily.

 

Even though he wakes up early, he never seems too happy about it, except when it means being close to an awake Erik. Charles shifts slightly, and Erik feels his half-hard cock poking against the inside of his thigh. He lets out a quiet breath, dropping his dish back into the water with a _plunk_ and leans back into Charles’ weight, trailing his wet fingers across Charles’ arm.

 

“Something I can help you with?” Erik says, grinding back purposefully against Charles’ erection.

 

Charles moans, pressing forward in return, dropping a kiss to one of Erik’s shoulder blades. “It’s early,” he mumbles. “Don’t tease, my love.”

 

Erik smiles softly. “All right,” he says, turning gently in Charles’ arms. “All right.”

 

When they’re face to face, Charles spares a moment to blink sleepily up at him before leaning up and in for a slow, deep kiss. Erik sighs into it, bringing one hand up to cup the side of Charles’ face while the other migrates to Charles’ side. He’d thrown on Erik’s pajama top before coming downstairs, but on his bottom half, he only wore the boxer-briefs he’d gone to sleep in. It’s a simple matter of rucking up the shirt just a tad before Erik’s warm palm slides against the bare, deceptively soft skin that covers Charles’ hip. Groaning happily, Charles moves his arms to wrap around Erik’s neck grinding his cock against Erik’s thigh.

 

Taking the hint, Erik gives Charles’ hip a few more slow affectionate strokes before slowly trailing his fingers along the top of the waistband. He reaches the front, but instead of dipping beneath the band and wrapping around Charles’ cock, he splays his fingers out just above Charles’ bellybutton, feeling the firmness of his abdomen, brushing the back of his knuckles over Charles’ stomach.

 

Charles’ breath hitches, and he nips gently at Erik’s bottom lip, the fangs apparently still hidden away since there’s no prick of diamond-sharp teeth. Oddly annoyed by Charles’ restraint – which he knows now _must_ be restraint – he abruptly moves and pinches one of Charles’ nipples in just the way he knows always makes Charles buck. This time is no exception. Charles yelps softly, pulling away from Erik’s mouth to arch more fully against him.

 

“ _Oh_ ,” Charles breathes. His eyes fly open. He stares at Erik with dark, half-lidded eyes, and Erik decides to take mercy on him.

 

He dips in, pressing another hard kiss to Charles’ lips before nuzzling gently at his cheek. Giving Charles’ nipple one last tweak, he glides his hand down Charles’ belly once more, dipping his fingers beneath the waistband without any preamble and taking Charles’ cock in hand.

 

It only takes a few strokes for Charles to become fully hard. Charles kisses Erik hungrily as Erik’s hands move underneath the cover of the cloth, thumb pressing gently against the slit where pre-cum has started to bead out. Erik gathers it and uses the wetness to help his hand glide along Charles’ shaft while Charles rocks into the motion, moaning against Erik’s mouth, sending them back against the counter just a little bit harder than he normally would.

 

“Sorry,” Charles breathes, pausing for a moment, fingers fluttering over Erik’s cheeks and jaw in apology. “Are you–?”

 

“Fine,” Erik confirms breathlessly. To reinforce the point, the gives Charles’ cock a squeeze, and Charles lets out a choked-sounding laugh before twitching his hips into Erik’s palm almost involuntarily. “Relax,” Erik murmurs, bussing a kiss to the side of Charles’ temple. “Let go.”

 

“Nnnghh,” Charles replies incoherently. He turns his head and lets it fall forward to rest against Erik’s collar bone, evidently watching Erik pumping him as his hips give minute little twitches.

 

For just a second, Erik regrets that they aren’t in bed, close to the drawer with the lube and toys. He has half a mind to let go and direct them back upstairs to their room so he can spread Charles out and take his time with him, maybe use the vibrator Charles enjoys so much. Ultimately, though, he decides against it when he tugs at Charles’ foreskin in a way that makes Charles practically melt against him, moaning loudly. He’s always so vocal during sex, and it never fails to amp Erik up as well. Already his clothes feel to tight, his cock tenting out his jeans almost painfully, but he ignores those feelings and focuses fully on Charles once more.

 

He does that move with the foreskin again and Charles clutches at Erik’s hips, thrusting desperately into his hand, panting raggedly. Erik noses along his temple and back into his sleep-tousled hair, breathing in deeply, the scent of sleep and sex getting heavier in the air now. They’ll have to crack a window before the guests arrive later tonight, just to be sure.

 

Erik groans softly. Suddenly he doesn’t want to be having a party. He wants to spend all night with Charles by himself, talking and kissing and reading together, or playing chess. Slowly, he traces a finger down the underside of Charles’ cock and down his balls before cupping them gently. Charles gasps and lets out a noise suspiciously close to a whine, fingers digging into Erik’s hips again. God, Erik loves the sounds he makes. There are times he wonders if they’re just part of his overall magnetic vampire persona. If Charles were human, would he be making these noises?

 

Erik grins, dipping down for a kiss, which Charles grants sloppily. Who cares? He’d still be Charles, and that’s what matters. “What do you need from me, _Schatz_?”

 

“More,” Charles breathes at once, hips circling and twitching as Erik fondles him. “Just a little – little bit more, darling.”

 

“Okay,” Erik murmurs. His other hand moves from where it had been resting half on Charles’ ass over top of his underwear and disappears down the front of Charles’ shorts to join the first.

 

Charles sighs happily as Erik begins to stroke him again, long and firm with the twist at the head he likes so much, while Erik’s other hand continues to play with his balls. “Yes,” Charles gasps. “Yes, yes, Erik, Erik, _Erik, ErikErikErikErik_!”

 

Triumphantly, Erik sees when Charles throws his head back, eyes screwed shut, that the fangs have descended now. _This is when it would be,_ he thinks distantly. _If Charles thought he could control himself. I’d want it to be now, when he’s so beautiful and open._

 

And with one last, purposeful stroke, Charles shouts brokenly, semen shooting out over Erik’s hand and the front of his boxers, eyes flying open as he comes. He grasps Erik’s biceps hard enough to bruise and thrusts through the feeling, chasing it, gasping as the crest levels off. Immediately, his grip on Erik’s arms slackens, and he lets out a quiet noise as he collapses forward against Erik’s chest, supported by the hand Erik manages to snake around his waist just in time.

 

Erik sighs, content, rubbing his thumb over Charles’ dick as it gives one last lazy twitch and Charles makes another soft noise into Erik’s sweater. “Better?” Erik asks, soothing his other palm up and down Charles’ back.

 

Charles pulls back slightly, just enough to grin dopily up at Erik. “Best,” he replies breathlessly.

 

Smiling, Erik leans down and brushes their lips together gently, pulling his mess-covered hand up from Charles’ boxers and being careful to leave it off to the side. The fangs are gone again, but that doesn’t matter so much to Erik now. They usually go away pretty quickly after Charles comes, and Charles is so obviously pleased – practically purring as he nuzzles up against Erik once more – that Erik knows there’s no way he isn’t satisfied.

 

“I smell apples?” Charles says, pulling back after a moment. “And pies?”

 

“Yes,” Erik answers. “You still need to make the snacks for your friends, but Raven and I got everything else done this afternoon.”

 

Charles hums happily. “Thank you, love.” He drops one last kiss to Erik’s mouth before taking a step back and disentangling them regretfully. “What do you say we get washed up and then I lie down with you for a little while so you can nap?”

 

Erik grins, trailing the backs of his knuckles down the side of Charles’ face affectionately. “Worn you out already have I?”

 

Charles laughs brightly. “If you like,” he answers. “Come on.” He pats Erik’s butt swiftly. “Do you want to shower with me or not?”

 

Grinning, Erik follows him up the stairs, enjoying the view as Charles leads the way.


	2. Chapter 2

By half past three in the morning the party is in full swing and Erik’s definitely pleasantly tipsy. Packs of vampires mingle with packs of familiars all over the house, a murmur of steady conversation filling the study where he is right now and mixing with the soft strains of the Halloween playlist Charles had created while Erik was napping. Erik sips at his third drink of the night, arm wrapped around his cold naked torso, but smiling nonetheless as he listens to Raven and Emma gripe about the change in the subway schedule that happened back in the summer.

 

“Now if I want to go anywhere, I have to wade through hoards of drunk people,” Emma says, rolling her eyes. “I mean it was bad enough before, just from being nocturnal but now it’s just ridiculous.”

 

“Maintenance schmaintenance,” Raven agrees. She takes another bite of her candy apple and talks through her mouthful. It’s probably a sign of how inebriated Emma is too, Erik thinks, that she isn’t crinkling her nose in distaste. “If they wanted to close down for a few hours from, like, four to six that would make sense. But midnight? The busses are packed now on the night shift home from work.”

 

“I should bite the mayor,” Emma says. “Intimidate him. Teach him who’s boss.”

 

Raven hums loudly in approval, eyes wide with excitement. “I’ll invite you into his house! Let’s do it!”

 

“Maybe you could just mesmerize him?” Erik asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

Emma gives him an unimpressed look and takes a sage swig of her red-tinged drink. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she replies. “Last week someone almost threw up on my new boots. I’m taking no chances. You, on the other hand, have obviously been spending way too much time with Charles.”

 

“Someone say my name?”

 

Charles sweeps in suddenly through the crowd of partygoers from nowhere, grinning brightly, his teeth so white in contrast to the red of his lipstick and the dark, dark eye shadow and eyebrow makeup. His cheeks are slightly pink even under the pale foundation. He tucks himself up next to Erik, slipping a fishnet-covered arm around his waist. Obligingly, Erik loops an arm around Charles’ shoulders to pull him in even closer. Smile turning soft, Charles tilts his head up and meets Erik halfway for a quick peck.

 

“Emma’s going to bite the mayor because of the maintenance downtime time for the subway,” Erik explains when they pull apart.

 

“Emma, no!” Charles says, feigning scandalized, though his smile still dances around the corners of his eyes, the expression somehow enhanced by all the makeup.

 

“Oh, so _you_ don’t mind all the drunk people on the street or stealing all the cabs when you’re trying to get your shopping done?” Emma shoots back.

 

“I never said that,” Charles replies. “I just use mesmerize them.”

 

Raven snorts into another bite of her apple. “Fucking typical.” Erik grins.

 

“Besides,” Charles continues, “I hardly have any shopping to do anyway. I just have the bookstore to run.”

 

Emma sighs. “I will never understand why you want to spend so much of your eternity _working_ ,” she replies. “Live a little Charles. I mean in reality, not just in your books.”

 

“I live plenty,” Charles says. “Erik and I go out all the time.”

 

“Yes, well,” Emma says, raising an eyebrow as if Charles’ response has proved her point, and goes back to sipping at her drink.

 

Charles ignores her. “We went to see the new exhibit at Guggenheim last weekend,” he ploughs on. “That was lovely, wasn’t it, darling? It’s been ages since I’d been to an art museum, but Erik likes them. I’d never even seen a Picasso in real life before. Can you imagine? I guess when you’ve lived so long things just slip through the cracks.”

 

Raven’s snickers. “Erik likes art?”

 

“I have culture,” Erik replies, somewhat defensively. He takes another sip of his drink, enjoying the burning trail it leaves on the way down to his stomach.

 

“I buy art,” Emma says, “so I can look at it from the comfort of my penthouse.”

 

Charles laughs. “To each their own,” he replies. “I quite like the crowds, actually.”

 

“I’ll say,” Raven agrees. “You are officially the least vampire-y vampire I have ever met.”

 

“And yet you’re still here,” Charles teases.

 

Raven smiles into her apple. “And don’t I regret it every day.”

 

Charles laughs, and Erik can feel goose bumps breaking out on his bare skin where Charles is rubbing circles with his fingers. He knew these costumes were a bad idea. All he’s wearing is a pair of fucking gold spandex short-shorts; half the night he’s freezing and the other half, when Charles is around in his corset and boots, sidling up to Erik so there’s too much of their skin touching to be decent, Erik is thinking of every non-sexy thing possible to avoid traumatizing the partygoers any more than he already has.

 

With Charles’ nonstop smile since the evening began, however, Erik finds himself unable to complain that much, despite the fact that he’d still like to find the nearest unoccupied nook and make out with Charles like they’re teenagers. The alcohol isn’t helping him keep his priorities in order. The punch is just as strong as it had looked with Raven made it that afternoon. Perhaps he’s drunker than he’d thought.

 

“Are you hot, darling?” Charles asks suddenly, reaching up and brushing his fingers across Erik’s forehead. “You look flushed.”

 

Erik shakes his head. “Just a little drunk,” he says. He holds up his nearly empty glass for Charles’ inspection. “I could probably use some water. Do you want something from the kitchen?”

 

“Could you bring me a glass of the vampire punch?” Erik nods, patting Charles’ arm in confirmation as he disentangles them. “Thank you, love,” Charles calls, before immediately launching into a conversation with Emma about her butterfly costume.

 

Erik weaves through the crowd, heading from the study, down the hallway, and through the even more packed living room towards the food. On the way he spots another vampire, Angel, who he didn’t know had stopped by, talking with her familiar Jubilee and another vampire Erik doesn’t know very well, Azazel. He waves hello, and she brightens waving back, then makes an exaggerated face, rubbing pointedly at her arms.

 

“You must be freezing!” she shouts over the din of voices and music.

 

Erik nods heartily, and Angel’s grin turns just slightly wicked.

 

“Looks good, though,” she adds, giving him the thumbs up.

 

Erik rolls his eyes good naturedly, feeling his cheeks heat at the attention, and he tosses her a bashful wave. She grins and Erik smiles back, then inches his way past a group of chatting vampires he doesn’t really know who are absorbed in conversation, and makes his way through the streamer-covered doorway into the kitchen.

 

It’s much less crowded inside. He recognizes a few familiar faces milling about; Kitty, a familiar, is chatting with Charles’ friend Hank, and Anne-Marie, Emma’s familiar, is scavenging the last few pieces of summer sausage off the human side of the snack table, while Alex pours himself some blood punch on the other side.

 

Suddenly, Erik stops up short, the memories of this afternoon jumping back to the forefront of his mind. Alex. Alex is the person Raven had mentioned when talking about the sex thing that’s been bothering him. Alex is also the only person Erik knows who had a romantic relationship with a vampire before being turned himself. If Erik wanted to know more about how to fix his own situation, Alex would be the perfect person to ask.

 

He takes to long, purposeful strides over toward the table before he pauses, realizing through the haze of alcohol, what a not-so-great idea that might be. Of the vampires, Erik knows Alex and Armando best. They’ve gone out on a few double dates together, and he and Charles have been invited to game nights several times over the past months at their apartment in Brooklyn. Before he was turned in the 80s, Armando was an engineer, so he and Erik have had lots of conversations about work. Erik genuinely likes both Alex and Armando. But they don’t talk about sex together, obviously. And Alex may be upset that Raven has told Erik about the whole blood-sucking thing to begin with, without Alex knowing.

 

Erik pauses, chewing his lip nervously. Suddenly, he hears a long, low whistle, and he jerks around to see Anne-Marie giving him an obvious once-over, eyebrows raised high. “Jeez Louise, sugar,” she says. “I thought you were a good boy.”

 

Erik shrugs. “It was Charles’ idea,” he explains.

 

She grins. “I bet it was.”

 

Obviously curious, Alex spins around, look of confusion switching to a smirk of comprehension as he takes in Erik. He takes a bite of the blood-flavored cookie in his hand, shaking his head. “Blame Raven for that one,” Alex says. “She was the one who showed him Rocky Horror.”

 

“I should have known,” Erik says, sighing. He closes the distance between them, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with the crimson punch from the vampire side of the table. “Enjoying yourself?” he asks. “Where’s Armando?”

 

“With Billy and Ororo, last I saw,” Alex replies. “They’re playing Jenga. It’s a great party. I’m glad you decided to do it. Charles’ wanted to throw a party for ages – and I mean that literally.”

 

Erik snorts. “Don’t I know it,” he says, filling his own cup now with non-bloody sangria. “I’ve resigned myself to the idea of a holiday party, too, once December hits. It’s useless to resist at this point.” He gives Alex a sidelong look, the alcohol making him frank. “And to be honest, I’m not sure I’d want to. I’m kind of enjoying it. Embarrassing costume aside.”

 

“That’s a given,” Alex says, grinning.

 

Making a noise of assent, Erik tosses back a mouthful of punch, finding a chunk of orange pulp and chomping it pensively. When he looks up, he sees Alex watching him with a slightly wistful look on his face. It’s a face Erik recognizes well; Charles makes it quite often when they go out for dinner and Erik can tuck into a delicious meal while Charles has to choke down his own human food. Apparently, missing food never gets much easier.

 

Alex notices Erik’s gaze and shrugs, self-depreciating smile turning up half of his mouth. “Perks of being a human,” he says. “Blood’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

 

“But the rest of it,” Erik says, his stomach suddenly flopping. “That’s worth it, right?”

 

“Oh, definitely,” Alex says at once. He takes a sip of his drink as if to demonstrate. “Armando and I were watching Star Trek last night, and it just gets you thinking, if all goes well, we’ll be able to see Star Fleet be an actual thing. I’m already writing my pilot application.”

 

Erik nods, taking another drink of sangria as he considers, frowning slightly in concentration. He’s definitely drunker than he’d initially thought when he was standing around with Emma and Raven talking about nothing in particular.

 

“I want Charles to change me,” Erik says, so abruptly it surprises even himself.

 

Alex stops, cup halfway to his mouth, eyebrows raised. “What?”

 

Erik clears his throat, feeling suddenly incredibly self-conscious. He’s far too naked and far too drunk to be having this conversation. He hadn’t even known that was what he was going to say until it was out of his mouth; otherwise he never would have said it. The revelation today about the blood-drinking sex thing was just a catalyst for what Erik has been feeling for a long time.

 

Still. It’s embarrassing, blurting out your feelings when you should be several years from being a heartsick teenager.

 

“Shit,” Erik breathes. He worries the rim of his cup nervously. “Don’t tell him I said anything. Don’t tell _anyone_ actually.” He adds, and he glances around the room, seeing to his immense relief that the others have drifted off to rejoin the party.

 

“I won’t,” Alex says at once. “But, wait – he doesn’t know?” Erik shakes his head jerkily. “Why not?”

 

“I don’t know how to ask him,” Erik admits. “I’ve been working up the courage, but then Raven told me…” he trails off, mentally kicking himself. He glares down at his sangria, and considers throwing it out but at this point, fuck it, the damage is done.

 

Alex frowns. “Raven said what?”

 

Erik sighs. “First of all, she said she was helping him find another familiar which I assumed Charles wouldn’t want. He has me, right?” Erik says chewing his lip.

 

Alex nods slowly, clearly aware that Erik isn’t telling everything. “And…?”

 

Erik only pauses a moment, but he figures there’s no way around it. “She wasn’t gossiping, I promise you. We were talking about how Charles is going to change her soon, and she was saying how it shouldn’t be as much of a problem because he’s used to drinking from me, except…” He shakes his head, shrugging slightly with sudden embarrassment, unable to meet Alex’s gaze. “Charles doesn’t drink from me. Not when we–” He makes a noncommittal sort of hand gesture. “Not ever. She wouldn’t have told me if I hadn’t been so clueless.” He snorts. “She thought I was putting her on.”

 

“Ah,” Alex says, looking still somewhat baffled, but apparently he’s got the gist of things. He taps his finger against his cup as he thinks. “So you think… Charles doesn’t want to drink from you because he doesn’t want to change you?”

 

“It sounds stupid when you say it like that,” Erik mumbles into his drink. “But… yeah. I mean, if _everyone_ does it why hasn’t he even asked?”

 

Alex shrugs. “I’m sure he has his reasons,” he says. “From what Armando tells me, Charles hasn’t had time for romantic relationships as long as he’s known him. I mean, if he doesn’t drink from you that mean he doesn’t drink from humans _ever._ That’s… a little surprising, to be honest.

 

“But I don’t want you to get more paranoid,” Alex adds quickly, probably seeing Erik’s expression fall. “Charles is probably just different. Besides, whom a vampire drinks from during sex doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on if they want to change that person or not. I’ve known plenty of vampires who hop from human to human to drink but haven’t changed a single person yet. With me and Armando…” Alex colors and takes a quick sip of his drink. “Things were different. That whole relationship was an anomaly in itself.”

 

Erik shifts uncomfortably. So it _is_ odd that Charles doesn’t drink from him. But Charles loves him; he knows this also. This conversation is just making Erik even more confused.

 

“But how did you ask Armando to change you?” Erik presses. “How did you tell him you wanted it?”

 

“Like I said, things were different with me and Armando,” Alex replies. “We were friends and then I became his familiar and _then_ we started dating. That he was going to change me was already part of the contract.”

 

Erik sighs, staring down into his drink and decides to quickly down the rest of it. If things aren’t going to start making more sense then he’d rather be a little less lucid anyway.

 

True, they’ve only been dating a little over a year. True, it’s a big decision – the biggest Erik will ever make, most likely. But Erik knows what he wants. He’s dated enough people in the past to know that Charles is different – different enough that he’s worth giving up everything Erik has. If his parents were still alive, if he had loads of human friends, Erik might have a harder time letting go, but he knows he still would anyway. The Earth will keep turning, the stars will bloom and die, and he and Charles will be together; those are the things Erik knows with unshakeable certainty. Or thought he knew at any rate. How he’ll reconcile knowing Charles loves him with not knowing Charles wants to love him for eternity, Erik doesn’t know.

 

“Look, don’t get worked up about it,” Alex says, clapping Erik on the shoulder and surprising him so he almost drops both his and Charles’ glasses. “Just talk to him. Armando and I took years to sort each other out, but you two are already living together. Human, vampire, it doesn’t matter. This is still just a regular relationship and you need to talk to him.”

 

“Yeah,” Erik says noncommittally. Maybe when he’s had another glass of sangria, talking to Charles about being together for the rest of eternity will seem less horrifying.

 

“ _Hey_ ,” Alex says, and when Erik looks over at him again he sees, to his surprise, that Alex is smirking. “Seriously, I think you’re worrying far too much about what you _don’t_ know. Talk to him. I’m sure what you find out can only make you feel better.” He takes another swig of his punch. “And by the way, I don’t give out relationship advice, like, _ever_ so count yourself among the chosen few.”

 

Erik snorts, but that, at least, does make him grateful. There’s a rustle of streamers behind him and a group of vampires and familiars enters, making their way over to the food and drinks. Obligingly, Erik steps out of the way, nodding to Alex.

 

“Thanks,” he says. “Really.”

 

“No problem,” Alex says, raising his cup in a salute. “Promise me. I haven’t seen him like this _ever_. And Armando says the same thing.”

 

Erik feels himself blush, but he nods again, offering a quick smile. “Thanks, Alex,” he says. The crowd of people draws closer, and Erik glances at them surreptitiously. He’d better get back to Charles before he’s missed. “I’ll see you around. Enjoy yourself.”

 

“Oh I will!” Alex calls right before Jubilee draws him into conversation about the punch.

 

Feeling, if not completely better, at least slightly more determined not to stress himself out for the rest of the party now that he has a game plan, Erik grabs some water from the sink and heads back down the hallway, dodging partygoers to the strains of the Monster Mash. When he reaches the study, he sees a few of the other groups have cleared out so that Charles and Emma and Raven were able to move to the couch. He makes his way silently over to Charles’ side once more and drops the cup into Charles’ waiting hands.

 

Charles leans his back into Erik’s side, still turned toward Raven who is apparently in the middle of a story about some drama at the café where she works. “Thank you, darling,” he says quietly so as not to interrupt. He raises the cup to his lips while finding Erik’s free hand with the other, twining their fingers together and pulling them onto his thigh so Erik’s arm is also wrapped around his waist. Forcing himself to relax – Charles will feel the tension in his muscles if he doesn’t – Erik shifts closer and takes a drink of his own. Alex is right; the only way to feel better is to talk.

 

 _Soon_ , he promises himself. For now, he intends to enjoy the party as much as he can, for Charles’ sake if nothing else.

 

*

As dawn comes closer to breaking, more and more vampires and their familiars trickle out the door until it’s just Erik, Raven, and Charles alone in the apartment once more. Once the last guest has gone, Charles turns off the Halloween playlist morosely and heads into the kitchen to wash dishes while Raven and Erik circle the apartment with garbage bags, straightening up. Putting the plug in the sink and turning on the faucet, Charles grabs the blood punch bowl from the table and drops it into the slowly rising water, squirting a generous amount of lemon scented antibacterial dish soap over the top. Then he grabs the serving trays with all the vampire food and puts the remaining treats in a baggie before adding them to the mix.

 

Charles has always loathed doing dishes. He’ll happily vacuum or dust or do any other number of household chores, but as a vampire dishes often are rather unnecessary. Still, this time as he digs in with his vampire-friendly scrubber, he can’t help but smile. The party was a roaring success, if he does say so himself. Everyone seemed to have a good time – even Emma – and Erik met a few more of his vampire friends and their familiars. He also secured another double date with Alex and Armando next week, though he has to check the date with Erik first.

 

Since this evening went so well, Charles wonders when he can broach the subject of a possible holiday party with Erik. His grin widens, and he shakes his head. Best to give him a few days to recover first. That is, after Charles rewards him for his good behavior tonight with a _thorough_ shagging. He should have known that dressing as Rocky and Frank-N-Furter would make them both pointedly agitated throughout the night. Somehow they managed to successfully remain PG, but it took an enormous amount of willpower, especially toward the end of the night when guests began to dwindle and the haze of alcohol seemed highest. Erik certainly seemed on edge whenever Charles would come around, and Charles is looking forward to releasing some of that tension.

 

With the dishes done, Charles sets them on the drying rack to air dry and flicks his fingers dry of water before drying them on the red towel draped over oven handle. He drains the sink and crouches down to find the disinfectant wipes under the cupboard to give it a thorough wash, but just as he straightens up, he hears streamers swish behind him and Raven bustles into the kitchen, half-full trash bag in hand.

 

“Everything’s straightened up,” she announces. “Erik’s putting away the games and the iPlayer. Do you need anything else from me?”

 

Charles shakes his head, smiling warmly. “No, thank you, Raven,” he replies. “You really are a saint for helping.”

 

Raven smirks, rolling her eyes fondly as she crosses to the trashcan in the corner and adds her bag to the top. “I know,” she says, taking out the now full bag and tying it off. “My payment is watching you try to walk around in high heels after four glasses of punch.”

 

Charles laughs. “Yes, well, I suppose that’s probably payment enough,” he says, pushing off the counter to make his way over to her. He pulls her into a hug, patting her back gently for a moment before pulling away, a wistful smile tugging at his lips. “You’re going home now?”

 

She nods. “Work tomorrow afternoon. I’ve gotta crash. I’ll take this out, though.”

 

“Thank you again,” he says. “I hope you had a good time.”

 

“The best,” Raven assures him as he follows her out of the kitchen and to the front door. She lowers her voice conspiratorially. “See if you can’t talk Erik into a holiday party after all. I think a lot of us really needed this.”

 

Charles winks. “Oh, my friend, I am _way_ ahead of you,” he says, pulling open the door for her.

 

“You’re leaving?” he hears Erik call from down the hallway.

 

Raven nods, waving. “Yep. Work tomorrow. Thanks for a great party!”

 

“Thanks for the help,” Erik says, nodding. “We’ll see you soon.”

 

“See you,” Raven agrees. She tosses them both a quick smile before stepping out the door and hopping down the steps to the bins. Charles watches her just for a second before closing the door and locking it in place.

 

“Well,” he says brightly, turning around to beam at Erik. “Mission accomplished. How do you feel?”

 

Erik smiles, shaking his head, and steps in close until Charles is backed up against the door, pulse thumping eagerly, anticipation swirling in his gut. “I never should have agreed to these costumes,” he says quietly. “Do you realize how much we could have traumatized our guests?”

 

Charles grins. “Yes, but we didn’t,” he points out as he loops his arms around Erik’s neck, drawing him down for a kiss. “And now, happily, you’re nearly in a perfect state of undress for what I have planned for you.”

 

“Mmm,” Erik hums against Charles’ lips. “Is that so?”

 

Charles runs a hand from Erik’s shoulder down his bare chest until his fingers are resting lightly on his stomach just above his belly button. “Care to join me upstairs to find out?” he asks, nipping at Erik’s bottom lip in the way he knows Erik likes.

 

Instead of answering, Erik settles his hands on Charles’ hips and begins walking them backward down the hallway, pressing burning kisses to Charles’ lips, his cheeks, his neck. Normally the angle might be a little too awkward to kiss _and_ walk, but the heels make Charles only a few inches shorter than Erik rather than a full half-foot like he normally is. It’s an advantage Charles hadn’t even thought of before but regrets they haven’t been able to make more use of now.

 

Once they hit the stairs they have to pull apart, but Erik takes Charles’ hand, practically leaping up the steps and Charles can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm, clunking along behind him as fast as he can. Technically speaking, Charles could carry Erik up the stairs if he wanted, but he likes it when Erik gets wound up like this, and besides, vampirism only gives him enhanced strength not enhanced balance. Best not to try in heels. Still, as soon as they’re over the threshold of the bedroom, Charles gives a light tug on their joined hands and Erik stops halfway to the bed, turning with an impatient expression.

 

“So eager to get this over with?” Charles asks, grinning and Erik huffs, opening his mouth to say something before Charles cuts him off with a kiss, sliding his tongue into Erik’s mouth.

 

Erik groans instead, cupping Charles’ jaw with a hand on either side. There’s a softness to the gesture that makes Charles’ stomach flip, caught off guard, and he reciprocates by easing back just a bit, turning the kiss into something slower and deeper. He slides his hands around Erik’s bare waist, practically shivering in pleasure at the warmth Erik radiates. As they break apart finally for air, Charles nuzzles at Erik’s cheek, unable to pull completely away.

 

“You’ll get makeup all over you,” he murmurs. “Let me go wash all this junk off first.”

 

Erik drops a few more kisses to the side of his temple and his cheek, running his thumbs gently along Charles’ jaw. “’Kay,” he answers. “But you’d better hurry or I’m starting without you.”

 

“You wouldn’t dare,” Charles says, pulling back so he can glare at Erik.

 

Erik shrugs, though there’s a trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “You want to find out the hard way?”

 

“I could always mesmerize you,” Charles teases, but an unfamiliar expression crosses Erik’s face and he looks away quickly, though his hands stay rested lightly on Charles’ shoulders. Charles frowns, insides suddenly turning icy with worry. “Erik?”

 

Erik shakes his head, gaze darting back up, obviously wrenching himself back from somewhere miles away. “Nothing,” he says. “Just zoning out. You’d better hurry back before I fall asleep.”

 

Charles’ rolls his eyes, thoroughly unconvinced, but taking the offered bait anyway. If Erik has something to say, he’ll say it eventually. If nothing else, Charles will bug him about it until he has no choice. Erik has never recoiled at a mention of Charles’ powers like that, and though Charles knows rationally that Erik is over the vampire thing, that reaction is disconcerting. Charles isn’t given much time to think it over, though, as Erik leans in and drops a kiss to Charles’ cheek. With Erik warm and affectionate, it’s difficult to do anything but lean in right back, so Charles does, humming quietly, eyes slipping closed. Finally, he pulls away and starts off toward the master bedroom.

 

“You’d better be naked when I get back,” Charles calls behind him, and he smiles softly when he hears the quiet rumble of Erik’s answering laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

Erik watches Charles walk into the bathroom, unable to quite tear his eyes away from the way Charles’ hips sway with each step in the heels, but as soon as the bathroom door clicks closed, he’s thrust abruptly back into reality. He sighs, shoulders sagging with the release of tension he didn’t even know he was holding. _Stupid_ , he thinks, recalling the way Charles had looked at him, disappointed but covering it with mock annoyance, when Erik had told him to go wash up. Of course Erik had known the mesmerism was a joke, but there had been a sudden, obvious opening to asking Charles why he _doesn’t_ use his powers with Erik and Erik had had no idea what to say.

 

Though he’s no longer giddy with the effects of the alcohol he drank all night, his brain still feels muddled. Probably it would be smart to sleep on this problem and talk to Charles tomorrow evening with a clear head and a full day of sleep. Negotiating being transformed into an undead man-eater by your boyfriend probably requires full use of mental faculties, especially when you aren’t even sure if he’ll say yes.

 

Erik’s feet drag slightly as he makes his way over to the bed while sounds of running water start up in the bathroom. He _is_ tired, buoyed only by the promise of sex after a whole night of wanting nothing more than to take Charles upstairs and unwrap him like the most delicious gift. More than that, though, he’s wondering what he should say when he asks Charles to change him. He shucks the tiny golden shorts off, along with his underwear and flops onto the duvet naked as a jaybird. Maybe he should be ultra casual about it and ask over dinner just in generalities. He could make it seem like he just wonders if Charles has thought about it, not that he has any feelings about the issue either way.

 

Or maybe he should make a grand gesture instead. He could take Charles somewhere nice and personal and ask, almost like a proposal. Would that be too forward? They haven’t talked about marriage yet, but to be fair, Erik doesn’t know any vampires who are married: not even Alex and Armando who for all intents and purposes _are_ married. It doesn’t seem like the done thing between them. A proposal may be going overboard, not that Erik wouldn’t ask if that’s what Charles wanted. All Erik wants is to know that no matter what, they’ll be together.

 

Erik reaches over into Charles’ bedside table drawer and pulls out the half-full bottle of lube, twirling it between his hands to warm it up a little as he continues musing. If Charles wanted a grand gesture, Erik could take him to the park at twilight like they sometimes do. He’d take him to their favorite tree and bring a bottle of wine and the chess set and maybe one of Charles’ favorite books. They could sit and talk and in a quiet moment when no other human is around, Erik could ask him. Erik smiles and abruptly shakes his head to try and dispel the warmth bubbling up in his chest.

 

Partially to distract himself and partially because he knows what it will do to Charles when he comes out of the bathroom and sees it, Erik pops the cap of the lube and pours a little bit of liquid into his palm before taking his cock in hand and beginning to stroke lazily. He’s still half-hard from the make-out session earlier, but he’s been aching to be touched for hours and a little sigh escapes him as he lets his head fall gently back against the headboard, eyes slipping closed. He swallows thickly, letting himself get lost in the slick glide of his hand while a small part of him registers that the bathroom sink has just turned off. His legs drift just a little further open of their own accord, the noise of his skin sliding across the blankets the only sound in the pre-dawn light.

 

“You better not have been at that long,” Charles purrs from the side of the bed, much closer than Erik thought he was. He must be moving quickly and silently on purpose.

 

Erik’s eyes flutter open and he turns to smile at Charles as he climbs onto the covers and into Erik’s lap, completely naked as well. “Not too long, no,” Erik replies.

 

Charles’ bangs are slightly wet and his face is clear of makeup, though a little eyeliner lingers in his lash line and his cheeks are rosier than normal from scrubbing. His supernaturally red lips part in a wide smile just before he leans down to press a kiss to Erik’s waiting mouth. “Shall I take over?” he asks, not even waiting for an answer as he wraps a hand around Erik’s cock and matches Erik’s slow, steady rhythm. Erik’s heart gives an emphatic thump at the look on Charles’ face – happy and hungry and determined to get what he wants.

 

“Will you ride me?” Erik asks, beginning to sound breathless already.

 

Charles hums appreciatively. “You have the best ideas, my love,” he answers, leaning down to drop of trail of kisses across Erik’s shoulder. “Yes, of course I will.” Erik’s hand falls away from his cock and instead goes to rest on Charles’ thigh, thumb rubbing over the skin just above his knee. Erik hears a brush on the sheets as Charles moves to pick up the lube.

 

“This is warm?” he asks.

 

Erik nods, chin brushing Charles’ hair, eyes fluttering shut.

 

The hand on his cock disappears as the bottle clicks open again. He can hear Charles squeezing some liquid over his hand and he forces his eyes open again, gaze trained on Charles as he works, a blush beginning to dust his cheeks. Once Charles seems to be satisfied with the amount of lube, the hand disappears behind him and he lifts his eyes to meet Erik’s. A pleased grin spreads across his beautiful face, and Erik hears his own breath hitch at the sight. He raises a hand to Charles’ cheek, cupping it softly, and the smile widens as Charles nuzzles into the touch. The fingers of Charles’ free hand start to stroke teasingly at the underside of Erik’s dick and Erik bucks, a quiet noise of surprise escaping him.

 

“As much as I enjoyed tonight,” Charles murmurs, “I have to say I prefer the after party.”

 

Erik laughs breathlessly. “You’re telling me.”

 

He leans forward and Charles meets him halfway for a slow, wet kiss, turning his head to deepen it even further when Charles moans happily. The mattress dips slightly as Charles begins to rock his hips, and Erik kisses Charles even more hungrily, his brain automatically supplying the memory of how it feels to open Charles with his own fingers, to watch as that slick wet heat pulls him in. He groans and Charles instantly nips at his lip, turning the sound into a choked-off cry. He can feel the curve of Charles’ lips as he smiles in response, but at the same time, the hand on Erik’s cock has lost its rhythm. Charles isn’t as unaffected as he seems.

 

Pulling back slightly, Erik takes his own cock in hand again and starts to stroke a little more firmly, avoiding the sensitive tip as much as possible. Sighing softly, Charles leaves Erik to it and sits back more firmly on his thighs, scrabbling for the bottle. For a second, his hand reappears from behind his back just long enough for Charles to cover it with more lube before it disappears once more, Charles groaning softly as he breaches himself again. Humming in something like agreement, Erik leans forward and begins dotting Charles’ chest and neck with little kisses as he gathers some of the lube and pre-cum from his own cock and moves to Charles’. Charles yelps, bucking against Erik, chasing the feeling, and Erik’s pulse roars with approval.

 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Charles breathes.

 

Erik looks up, pausing in his quest to cover Charles’ whole torso with kisses, needing to catch a glimpse of Charles when he’s like this: past the point of prim and proper and gentlemanly, past the point of holding back for the sake of teasing Erik. Seeing Charles flushed with pleasure and unselfconsciously wanting more is one of Erik’s favorite sights in the whole world.

 

And he isn’t disappointed this time either. Charles’ eyes are screwed shut, a blush darkening across his nose and cheeks, his mouth open and glistening from Erik’s kisses. With a jolt, Erik sees the sharp whiteness of Charles’ fangs, and his stomach flops, heart thumping with nerves and an odd sort of wanting so intense it almost hurts. Usually his fangs are oddly nondescript. Now it’s as if the whole world has focused down to those two points.

 

With a quiet moan, he dips forward into Charles’ chest, kissing and biting until the skin is marked with deep red spots. He pants against Charles’ neck, nosing the column of his throat, quiet little noises tumbling from his own lips. He drops Charles cock and instead trails his hand around Charles’ hip to his ass, grabbing a handful of flesh and using it to spread him open further. Charles sighs, and Erik feels a hand thread through his hair, keeping him close to Charles’ skin.

 

“Not much longer,” Charles promises, bussing a kiss to the side of Erik’s head.

 

Erik lets out a noise like a whine and nips at Charles’ neck, soothing over the bite instantly with his tongue. “Charles,” he breathes, wanting to desperately it feels like all his nerves are on fire. “Charles…why…?”

 

“Why what, my love?” Charles asks. His fingers scratch gently across Erik’s scalp and Erik shivers, his dick giving an insistent twitch.

 

“I love you so much,” Erik says, the words tumbling form his lips helplessly.

 

“I love you, too,” Charles replies. The hand in Erik’s hair tugs him back gently, and Erik goes more than willingly, surging up to meet Charles’ kiss.

 

Erik moans against Charles’ mouth, heart hammering with excitement and with nerves. Now. He has to do it now. He doesn’t want to waste another moment not knowing if Charles wants the same thing as he does.

 

“You can bite me,” he says quickly, the words throaty and breathless. “If you want. You always could have, Charles, I’d do–”

 

But the rest of the words die in his throat as Charles pulls away like he’s been shocked. Erik looks up at him and his stomach sinks horribly when he sees the look of bewilderment and horror on Charles’ face. His blue eyes are wide and disbelieving, and Erik can do nothing but breathe, watching with mounting panic as Charles begins to shift on his lap, scooting father away to the other side of the bed, wincing slightly as he withdraws his hand.

 

“Charles–”

 

“No, stay back,” Charles warns, putting up a hand. “Just stay there and breathe, darling. I’ll go and get you some water. You’ll be fine.”

 

Erik frowns, rolling towards Charles who leaps off the mattress, looking terrified. “No!” he shouts. “No, just stay there. I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.”

 

“Sorry about what?” Erik asks, hurt and sadness turning swiftly to anger. “Being a complete asshole when I’m trying to ask you…” He breaks off, snarling in frustration. “What the fuck just happened?”

 

Charles’ expression softens, and he creeps toward Erik like he’s handling a wild injured animal. “You have every right to be upset,” Charles murmurs, and to his astonishment, Erik sees Charles’ eyes have gone slightly wet. “This has never happened to me before, Erik, you have to believe me. I never would have mesmerized you on purpose. I don’t know what I did. I guess I was just too worked up and somehow…. I’m so, so sorry, my love. I am _so_ sorry.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Erik asks, completely bewildered. “You didn’t mesmerize me. I was asking because I _want_ to.”

 

Charles mouth falls open in surprise. “You _want_ to?”

 

“Of course I do,” Erik insists. “Raven said–”

 

Charles face instantly darkens, mouth falling into a tight, downturned line. “What did Raven say,” he asks quietly.

 

Erik swallows, shifting uncomfortably on the bed like prey pinned under the eyes of a predator. He guesses that’s not exactly an inept comparison after all. “She said all the vampires she knows who sleep with humans drink their blood,” he replies. “She just assumed we were doing it, too. She thought it would make it easier for when you change her, if you’re used to my blood.”

 

Erik swallows down the rest of that conversation, where she’d also assumed Charles wouldn’t want Erik to care for him after she’s a vampire, too. Where she’d admitted they’ve already talked about finding Charles a new familiar without Erik. Instead, he blinks, watching breathlessly as Charles processes this information, jaw tightening for just a moment before he sighs angrily, crossing his arms over his bare chest which is still peppered with red marks.

 

“She has no idea what she’s talking about,” he snaps. “This is none of her business anyway. I’m going to have words her.”

 

Erik shakes his head, confused. “But _Alex_ said it’s true,” he persists. “It wasn’t just Raven. They both said everyone does it. It’s supposed to feel good for both people. I thought….” he hesitates, watching Charles uncertainly, but Charles simply looks right back, expression growing a little less tight. “Maybe if we started doing it you’d understand that… that one day I want to share _all_ of this with you.” His pulse races fast enough Erik is half terrified his heart will burst. “Forever.”

 

“Forever,” Charles breathes, eyes widening as comprehension dawns. He drops his arms, starting forward, then pausing just shy of the mattress. Sometimes Erik can see how fragile Charles thinks he is and usually it frustrates him, but now Erik isn’t sure what to do with his hands either. “Erik, you want to…”

 

Erik nods, his throat tight. “For a long time, now. Since you told me about when _you_ changed.”

 

“Erik,” Charles whispers, sliding slowly onto the bed, creeping toward Erik as if he’s afraid he’ll spook him. “This is… You’re certain?”

 

“Eternity isn’t long enough to spend with you, Charles,” he answers.

 

Charles laughs, the noise sounding choked and he finally climbs back so he’s straddling Erik, taking Erik’s face in his hands. His eyes are shining once more but there’s happiness there behind the tears. “It’ll have to do, though,” he murmurs, and Erik can feel the corners of his own eyes beginning to prickle now, too.

 

“Okay,” he manages before Charles seals their lips together slowly, deeply. His tongue trails along Erik’s bottom lip and Erik opens his mouth, pulling Charles in closer by the waist until he’s fully seated in his lap once more.

 

When they pull apart for air, Charles moves so they’re resting cheek to cheek, his arms wrapped gently around Erik’s neck, just breathing deeply. Erik trails his hands up and down Charles’ sides, ignoring the flip his stomach makes when Charles adjusts his legs and their cocks brush. One of Charles’ hands migrates back up into Erik’s hair, threading it slowly through his fingers.

 

“How could you not know?” Erik murmurs, thumbs brushing the skin just under Charles’ ribs. He feels Charles smile against his cheek in response.

 

“There’s a big difference between wanting to spend your life with me and wanting to spend all of time with me,” Charles replies. “You haven’t done anything to make me doubt the first, but I couldn’t let myself speak for you on the second.” He presses a kiss to Erik’s ear, sighing softly. “There were so many times I wanted to beg you to change, even if it wasn’t me who did it. Even if we only stayed friends, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you forever.” He tightens his arms around Erik’s neck, and Erik holds him more tightly in return. “But I would have tried to make one lifetime enough if you’d asked me. I would have faced your mortality with you if that was what you wanted. Until you said something, though, I couldn’t ask you. It’s cowardly, I know, but I didn’t know what I’d do if you refused.”

 

Erik hums soothingly, running his hands up and down Charles’ back. “We were both being silly,” he says. “It seems like such a big question for the other person, even if you know what you want without question.”

 

“Yes,” Charles agrees, chuckling softly. “When you put it like that I’m surprised we even got here as quickly as we did.”

 

Erik smiles. “Maybe you should be thanking Raven instead of scolding her.”

 

“No, no,” Charles replies quickly. “Scolding is definitely the way to go. I can’t believe she would assume something like that.”

 

Erik pulls back slightly, just enough so Charles turns to look him in the eye, his brow slightly furrowed. “We’re obviously having sex, Charles,” Erik presses. “If everyone does it, it’s only natural for her to assume without knowing otherwise.”

 

Charles sighs, rolling his eyes heavenward. “Hardly everyone does it,” he mutters. “This is what I get for befriending so many young vampires.” Erik frowns, confused, and Charles shakes his head.

 

“When I was first changed, it was very taboo for vampires to drink from humans for pleasure,” he explains. “There were vampires who had sex with humans and drank from them, but it was with prostitutes mostly, not anyone from good, respectable backgrounds with people who would miss them. The targets were desperate and poor, and vampires took advantage of that. More often than not the vampire would kill them after a few rounds, and I doubt the drinking was ever consensual. If it _was_ , the vampire would certainly lie to the victim about changing them in order to make them agree. But I hardly think anyone took the time when they could just mesmerize or overpower the poor soul.”

 

Erik winces and Charles nods sympathetically. “It’s been taboo much longer than it hasn’t,” he says. “Alex and Armando and most of the others have the benefit of being born in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. They don’t have a stigma to shake off.”

 

“But what about Emma?” Erik asks. “She’s older than you, isn’t she?”

 

“Yes,” Charles says, eyes a little distant. “But Emma wasn’t always like she is now. She killed her fair share of those she thought were beneath her when she was young.” Erik’s discomfort must show on his face because Charles dips in for another soft kiss, smoothing his hands across Erik’s shoulders. “All that’s in the past now. She wouldn’t be the only vampire like that, either. My friends tend to be the exception to the rule of bloodthirsty killer.”

 

Erik snorts, rolling his eyes fondly. “Of course,” he mutters. Charles’ head tips back as he laughs, clear and bright.

 

A soft smile spreads over Erik’s face, and he settles his hand low on Charles’ back just before the swell of his butt, massaging the skin there. The laugh turns into a groan and Charles arches back into the touch, hands sliding down Erik’s chest, grazing his nipples. In retaliation, Erik slides two of his fingers down into the cleft between Charles’ cheeks, feeling the slickness there with the flat of his fingers. Charles’ hole twitches against the digits, and Charles sighs, thrusting back against them impatiently.

 

With his other hand, Erik scrabbles at his side until he finds the bottle of lube, popping it open and squeezing just a bit more onto the hand behind Charles’ back without pulling it away from where it rests against Charles’ perineum.

 

“Give me three,” Charles breathes. “I had three in before we stopped. I just need a little more…” he breaks off, gasping as Erik breaches him with two fingers.

 

Erik watches his face or any sign of discomfort but there’s none there. Charles’ mouth is open as he begins to breathe in deeply, rocking back onto Erik’s hand, eyes flitting up to meet Erik’s. Satisfied, Erik lines another finger up against Charles’ rim, sliding and pressing in carefully until it slips all the way in with the other two. Instantly, Charles thrusts back against the intrusion, a silent request for more, harder, deeper. Feeling his cock twitch in anticipation, Erik adjusts until he feels his fingertips press against a familiar bundle of nerves and Charles cries out, raking his hands up and down Erik’s chest before dropping one to Erik’s cock, jerking it in earnest with long swift strokes.

 

Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Erik plants his feet more firmly against the mattress, jostling Charles slightly so he cries out as Erik’s fingers hit his prostate once more, but with the newfound leverage Erik can buck up into Charles’ grip. It’s not enough to be in control but it’s enough to chase the feeling, which Erik desperately wants. Apparently Charles understands this because he adjusts so each pull on Erik’s cock is harder, tighter, and eases his thumb up over the head to swipe at the precum beading there once more. Erik keens, head falling back against the headrest, eyes slamming shut and Charles takes the opportunity to lean down and trail his lips over Erik’s chest and shoulders, working his way up to Erik’s neck where he pauses suddenly.

 

Erik swallows audibly, fingers in Charles stilling, and Charles lets in a shaky breath, hips twitching back almost unconsciously. Erik’s dick feels heavy and oversensitive in Charles’ grasp, and his skin is tingling wherever they touch but especially, _especially_ at his throat.

 

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Charles asks, pressing a kiss just over Erik’s pulse point. “About… drinking from you?”

 

Erik shivers and he kicks himself into action, rubbing the inside of Charles’ walls, spreading his fingers just so Charles moans and jerks heavily back onto them. “Yes,” Erik breathes. “If you want it, I want it.”

 

“I won’t hurt you,” Charles promises and he sits back so he can look Erik in the face. “I _won’t_.”

 

“I trust you,” Erik replies at once, completely honest. He doesn’t think Charles could hurt someone even if he tried _._

 

To further enforce his conviction, he draws Charles down for a kiss, slipping his tongue into Charles’ mouth, barely feeling the tips of his fangs as they graze him. Charles kisses him back hungrily for a long moment, keening high in his throat as Erik twists his fingers and finds his prostate again. Finally, Erik pulls back, cupping his free hand to the back of Charles’ head and guides him down imploringly toward his neck. Charles goes willingly but instead of biting him right away as Erik expects, he maps kisses over to Erik’s shoulder, tonguing at his collarbone.

 

Confused, Erik makes a noise of protest and looks down to try and see what Charles is doing, but before he can make out anything besides the back of Charles’ head, two tiny pinpricks spark into life right below his collarbone, and all he can think is _Oh_ before warmth floods from the bite over his chest, down his torso, into his arms and legs.

 

He hears himself gasp, feels Charles’ fingers tighten around the base of his cock. Distantly, he realizes his limbs feel like jelly and that his arm is resting uselessly against Charles’ back now, fingers sliding out of his hole slowly – or perhaps not so slowly? Time seems to be working differently – and he makes an attempt to slip them back in. It doesn’t quite work, but at least their progress stops. A loud, long moan vibrates up through Charles and into Erik’s chest, and Erik goes boneless as Charles grasps his back and pulls him closer, making him arch into the bite.

 

Stars begin to flare into life at the edges of Erik’s vision and he swallows, panting, his cock giving a huge jerk in Charles’ hands. A part of him, currently miles away, thanks Charles for having the foresight to grip him so he wouldn’t come just from this: the warmth and pleasure coursing through him as Charles takes what he needs. He lets his head loll back and his eyes slip closed and when he moans it sounds like it’s from far, far away.

 

Too soon the warmth recedes, giving Erik the use of his limbs back, but the pleasure remains. When he tips his head down groggily, he sees Charles still kissing and licking at the spot where two tiny dots seem to be healing instantly and his stomach flops with the full weight of what they’ve just done together.

 

“Nngh,” he says, tongue feeling like a lead weight.

 

Charles looks up, eyes half-lidded and dark with want, and straightens up, guiding Erik back to rest more comfortably against the headboard. Without speaking, he reaches back and takes Erik’s wrist, pulling his fingers slowly out, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of Erik’s mouth.

 

“Good?” he asks.

 

Erik nods, petting Charles’ ass, turning to drop a sloppy kiss to Charles’ cheek. Charles smiles lopsidedly, eyes just a little glassy with want. Erik notes with a touch of distant surprise that there’s no blood on Charles’ mouth or teeth, though his lips are a little redder for their efforts. Charles massages the back of Erik’s neck, watching him for just a moment with eyes so filled with love and want it makes Erik’s chest ache. After a silence that seems longer than it is, Charles kisses Erik again, adjusting himself slightly, scooting in closer and widening his stance over Erik’s lap. Then, with the hand still wrapped around the base of Erik’s cock, Charles guides the tip to his entrance and sinks down, crying out weakly against Erik’s cheek as the first inch slips inside.

 

Erik lifts his clean hand to thread through Charles’ hair, massaging his scalp, turning so he can pepper sloppy kisses to the side of Charles’ temple, cheek, and jaw. “I… I…” he slurs, not quite knowing how to put his feelings into words. Charles sinks down even further and Erik gasps as tight heat envelops his cock. Everything feels over-sensitive. The hand in Charles’ hair tightens. Erik swallows, then continues, “Was it _oh_ … okay? It feels good for you, too?”

 

“Erik,” Charles breathes, nuzzling at Erik’s nose and lips. “ _Erik_.” He sits fully in Erik’s lap and Erik makes a noise like he’s been punched in the stomach, pleasure sparking all the way up his spine. Sighing, Charles begins to roll his hips in earnest. “You taste…” He trails off, but it doesn’t matter.

 

The cry that slips from Erik’s throat is loud enough he worries for a second that he might have woken the neighbors, but a second is all the time he has before he’s lost completely in Charles once more. Charles clenches down at the same time that he lifts himself up slightly for just a moment, brow furrowed in concentration. Then he slides back down with exceeding gentleness until Erik is fully seated inside him again and rocks so the tip works up against his prostate. Erik groans, hands magnetized to Charles’ hips as he watches the spot where they’re joined.

 

“So beautiful,” Charles whispers, tweaking one of Erik’s nipples as he drops kisses to Erik’s cheek. “Always so good to me. How could I ever live without you?”

 

“You don’t have to,” Erik pants, turning to capture Charles’ lips once more.

 

Charles hums against them, smiling into the kiss, working himself on Erik’s cock with slow but purposeful drags. “No,” he murmurs between kisses. “No, Erik. _Ah!_ ”

 

Charles sits down hard in Erik’s lap, hips twitching, smearing pre-cum on Erik’s stomach as he moves. Dazed, Erik chases Charles mouth, feeling like he’s drowning and the only thing that will save him are Charles’ lips, his hands, his tight, slick inner walls. Whatever is in the vampire venom is making his heart race, his mind swirl with need as if he’s just on the brink of orgasm. It’s almost painful, except for the softness of Charles’ thighs and ass against him, the velvet smoothness of Charles’ cock as Erik takes it in hand and begins to pull slowly to match the way Charles is riding him. The brushes of Charles’ hands are feather-light as they snaking their way across Erik’s torso to tease him to the point of frenzy. Erik whines, trying his best to thrust up into Charles without much leverage. The movement jostles Charles, who moans, petting Erik’s chest softly, dropping swift fleeting kisses to his mouth.

 

“I know, darling,” he soothes, “I know.”

 

“It’s– I want to–” Erik tries, bucking upwards again, but this time Charles is ready for him and rolls with the movement so Erik hits his prostate.

 

Charles flutters around him, thrusting into Erik’s hand then back onto his cock, short, ragged gasps being pulled from his throat. He wraps one hand around Erik’s back then sets the other behind him and sits back slightly for a better angle, a blush high on his cheekbones and creeping around to his ears and down his neck. Groaning, Erik starts to jerk him faster, hoping to God Charles is as close as he is. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to move for days after they’re finished and he wants Charles to come too. He _needs_ it.

 

A trickle of sweat rolls from Charles’ temple down his check and neck, and Erik watches its progress with half-focused eyes. Above him, Charles keens loudly as he begins riding Erik faster, breathing uneven and harsh.

 

“ _God_ ,” Charles breathes, “It’s like… drowning in you.” He clenches around Erik’s length as he slides up quickly then slams back down with a shout. “I wish you could feel it. How good you smell, how good you taste. How _big_ you are…”

 

Erik feels his cock twitch, the pleasure spiking suddenly, and he thrusts up against Charles’ ass, panting, little whining noises slipping from him. He’s convinced he’s going to die if he doesn’t come immediately. He’s never heard Charles babble like this before, even at the brink of orgasm, and the knowledge that Charles is just as affected as he is is enough to make him a shaking, desperate mess. He can’t hold back anymore. Gripping Charles’ hips with one hand, and teasing Charles’ foreskin with the other, Erik rocks up into the heat enveloping his cock.

 

“Please, Schatz, _please_ ,” he begs, hardly knowing what he’s saying. “It’s too much, I’m so close–”

 

Charles dives back in for another deep kiss, biting Erik’s bottom lip and tugging as he circles his hips, clenching around Erik and dropping his hand to join the one Erik has wrapped around his cock. Just like that, Charles takes the lead, guiding Erik’s hand up around the tip then back down under the sensitive head. Noises of pleasure tumble from his lips and escalating with each stroke, sending all the nerves in Erik’s body crackling until he’s crying out, too. With Charles in complete control, all Erik can do is sit there, hips twitching weakly, holding on tight as Charles uses his cock to drive them both higher and higher.

 

Finally, it’s too much. Charles’ muscles flutter around Erik as he raises himself up so just the tip is inside, and Erik can’t stand it. He shouts, the fingers on Charles’ hip digging in hard enough to bruise, his hips bucking. Charles gasps and slides back down again, fully sheathing Erik inside him as his cock jerks, spending itself in Charles’ body. Distantly, Erik can feel Charles’ hand sliding along his cock quickly as he rocks on the length inside him. Quickly, Erik opens his eyes and watches Charles face as he follows Erik over the edge, eyes wide, blush deep red, hair mussed from Erik’s fingers. Streaks of white shoot out over their fingers and Erik’s stomach, a few drops even hitting his chest.

 

Charles keens quietly and tips forward, resting his head in the junction of Erik’s neck and shoulder. He’s shivering, Erik realizes, and when he goes to wrap his arms around Charles’ waist he feels his own hands are shaking as well. Sighing, Erik pulls Charles in closer and tips his head so his cheek can rest on Charles’ curling hair.

 

One last time, he feels Charles flutter around his over-sensitive cock, and he hisses quietly.

 

Groaning softly, Charles lifts himself up just enough that Erik’s softening cock slips from him, then he’s right back in Erik’s lap, curled tightly around him like a particularly needy boa constrictor. Erik noses at Charles’ hair, musky with sweat, and drops a handful of kisses into the thick locks above his ear. After the frenzy of sex, everything seems impossibly quiet with just their breathing and the quiet sounds of a handful of birds singing a warning of the coming dawn outside. He’s sweaty, exhausted, and sticky, but Erik doesn’t think he’s ever felt more at peace. He trails a hand up and down the notches in Charles spine slowly, savoring the warm soft skin under his fingertips, and smiles against Charles’ ear when he feels fingers tangle into his hair and begin carding themselves through it.

 

How easily Erik could fall asleep like this, he thinks, which is exactly why they should get up and clean themselves off. Probably, he considers, they should also strip the top cover off. It’s probably filthy. They should have put a towel down if they both knew they were going to be having sex. Still, Erik can’t bring himself to be too annoyed at the cleanup ahead of them. He can’t bring himself to be annoyed at _anything_ , actually. Not when he’s so warm and comfortable and feels so much love echoing between the two of them.

 

After a while, however, Charles begins to shift uncomfortably above him and Erik knows the drying lube and semen must be getting to him. He presses one last kiss to Charles’ hair before trailing his hands down to his hips and pushing him gently away.

 

“No,” Charles protests, burrowing even closer.

 

Erik huffs fondly and continues to press against his hips. “I know you feel gross.”

 

“I feel _amazing_ ,” Charles insists, and Erik laughs, shaking his head.

 

Charles pops up from Erik’s shoulder and pulls him in for a deep, slow kiss that makes Erik’s toes curl. If only he was a decade younger and could be ready for round two already. But he’s not, and even though there are blackout curtains on the window, he knows intellectually that the city outside is beginning to wake up, or will be soon. They both need sleep after the night they’ve had. Pulling away reluctantly, Erik ignores Charles’ frown and somehow manages to slink out from underneath him and get to his wobbly feet.

 

“You’ll feel even more amazing when you’re clean,” he promises. Then, unable to stop himself, he leans down and kisses Charles one last time. “Lie down and I’ll be back in a minute.”

 

Forcing his body to obey him, he turns away from Charles’ disappointed, sleepy glare and pads into the bathroom, grabbing a fresh washcloth from the bar opposite the sink. He turns on the hot water and gives himself a once-over in the mirror as the cloth wets.

 

Perhaps he should feel different now that Charles drank from him. A normal person would be terrified to be bitten by a vampire, and Erik wouldn’t blame someone else for feeling a little bit unstable, even if the biting was consensual. It’s not something most people tend to aspire to do. But Erik doesn’t feel odd at all. As he runs his gaze over his neck and chest, all he feels is satisfaction and warmth when he sees the fading marks from Charles’ lips and teeth. He zeroes in on the spot where Charles had bitten, but apart from being a little redder than the other marks, there’s no sign that it’s so different.

 

Eager to get back to Charles, he washes himself off quickly, scrubbing away the dirt and grime and cum and rinsing out the washcloth before bringing it back out into the bedroom. He smiles softly when he sees Charles still prone and boneless on the top sheet, and seeing Erik, Charles smiles back. Rolling over, he accepts a kiss from Erik and wraps his arms around his neck to pull him back down onto the mattress. Still kissing lazily, his tongue tangling sweetly with Charles’, Erik wipes Charles down.

 

Clearing away the tacky cum and lube from Charles’ sensitive skin is slow going, especially when he moves as carefully as possible to avoid uncomfortable tugging. It doesn’t help that a slow trickle of cum slips from Charles’ hole just as Erik thinks he’s almost finished. Moaning softly, Charles presses back into the touch, clearly enjoying the attention even if he isn’t going to get hard again, so Erik takes his time, making sure every last inch of his boyfriend is clean before tossing the washcloth over the side of the bed to deal with tomorrow. Finally, Erik begins easing the dirty top blanket out from underneath them, Charles helping as soon as he catches on, and that too goes over the side.

 

Safe and clean and contented, Erik crawls quickly under the covers holding the blankets open so Charles can join him, and as soon as Charles is curled up at his side, Erik snuggles back into the mattress. Sighing, he shifts so his head is resting on Charles’ shoulder and nose tucked up against his throat, slinging his arm over Charles’ chest and a leg over Charles’ leg. Charles’ hand settles warmly on Erik’s lower back and Erik feels a soft brush of lips at his temple and smiles.

 

“Thank you,” Charles murmurs into the quiet. “I never thought… Almost all my life I just assumed I would be alone. As a human I promised myself I’d stay a bachelor rather than drag some poor girl into an unhappy marriage, and after I changed it just never seemed… Well.” He pauses, and another kiss is brushed to Erik’s skin. “Even if I’d dreamed for another two-hundred years I never could have imagined you, darling. I love you more than I’ll have days to say it.”

 

Erik snuggles in closer, his throat suddenly tight. Tears of thankfulness and awe at how lucky he is to have somehow gained Charles’ love prickle behind his closed eyelids, and he moves the arm around Charles’ waist so he can reach down and grab his hand instead, bringing it to his lips.

 

“Love you,” he replies simply, openly, voice just a little too rough to be mistaken for sleepiness.

 

The hand on Erik’s back begins tracing slow, comforting circles. “We can talk tomorrow about specifics,” Charles says softly. “There’s no rush. Take all the time you need to get ready. I can wait.”

 

“I can’t,” Erik answers, and Charles laughs, nose brushing Erik’s hair.

 

“But you have the option, anyway,” he clarifies.

 

Erik hums, thumb trailing gently along Charles’ finger. “Go to sleep, _Schatz_ ,” he murmurs. “You’ll start making more sense in the morning.”

 

“Yes, dear,” Charles answers, the grin evident in his voice.

 

Normally, Erik would pay Charles back for such teasing, but right now he’s too tired and far too happy to care. Nosing a kiss to Charles’ throat, he settles down at last, listening to the slow, quiet thump of Charles’ heart, much fainter than any mortal’s. Charles has told him more than once how much he loves to listen to Erik’s heartbeat, so quick and alive. He wonders distantly if Charles will miss hearing it after Erik changes, and almost open his mouth to ask. But between one breath and the next, sleep wins out, and before either of them knows it, they’re both fast asleep.


End file.
